Scientists urge strong protection of Sound

Quit repeating the mistakes of the past and embrace strong strategies for saving Puget Sound. That’s the bottom line message of a letter from prominent local scientists giving their advice on recovering and protecting the Sound.

The letter sent Wednesday is addressed to David Dicks, executive director of the Puget Sound Partnership. That’s the group appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to lead the effort to save the Sound by 2020. The Partnership is finalizing a draft action agenda that lays a blueprint for helping the Sound.

The letter was signed by 13 researchers, including the University of Washington’s David Montgomery, who was just awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius” award for his work in geomorphology.

They write:

(W)e have witnessed the failure of past initiatives that promised much but did little to reverse the downward trend in environmental quality of our cherished estuary…

While restoration will be an important piece of healing the Sound, the scientists focus their letter on doing no more harm:

The current abuse of land and water resources must be drastically reduced if we hope to ensure a healthy Puget Sound. This requires us to reduce impervious surface that impairs the hydrology of streams, restrict new clearing and development that would harm remaining undisturbed habitats, restore and conserve healthy living systems, and, to the extent possible, eliminate discharge of pollutants. This requires significant changes in policies, law, and behavior that would continue long after our generation is gone.